Bench Vise ID + Info

[FourOneTwo]

Bench Vise ID + Info (ELGIN Windmill Company)

Brand new member here. I recently purchased a bench vise from a flea market and have found next to nothing online regarding it's history, etc. I was hoping someone had some more information for me. I tried searching the GJ forums and did not find anything.

The bench vise has an "Elgin Windmill Company Products; Elgin, Illinois" sticker on it. The lead screw is exposed and on the opposite side of the sticker is a stamped "50." I believe the vise is stamped iron (?). Does anyone have some more information on this vise? Thanks!

 

[jakemac]

It looks like a Prentiss design to me. But I'm not one of the GJ guru's, so I'll let one of them argue the finer points of your vise. It looks good though, I like it.

 

[drivesitfar]

412: it looks like a lot of the open screw vises made in the 40's thru 60's. your Elgin is a brand that i haven't heard of yet or seen, but the condition of yours looks mint for it's age.

are you thinking of just selling it or would you like to mount it on your bench? it is a great lite duty vise and with a little oil or grease on the main screw it should last you for years. don't use the little anvil for any hammering work and find a piece of RR track to do that on.

value is in the $25 to $65 range i'm guessing and if you check Craigslist in your area and Ebay you might find it could be a little more or less. here's a picture of a Littlestown vise i own that isn't in quite as nice shape that i'm going to clean up and sell for $50-$60.

by the way welcome to Garage Journal and i hope to see a few posts on threads about things you know something about and enjoy the information on things you always wanted to know because some of these guys could build a spaceship and land on Mars if you gave them the material to build one.

 

[FourOneTwo]

@drivesitfar THANKS for the information. I picked it up for a new work bench I'm almost finished building. It was pretty cheap and I was looking for a good, vintage "USA Made" vise for the bench. I Googled it and found almost nothing about it anywhere. I thought it was mis-badged. Still curious to see if anyone is familiar with "Elgin." I literally found nothing online regarding this brand of vise.

For cleaning what do you recommend - Brake Kleen?
How about for greasing the lead screw - "Anti-Seize"? (ex: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AAJTXY/?tag=atomicindus08-20)

 

[drivesitfar]

412: you vise isn't too dirty so Simple Green (they now sell the spray bottle with at gallon jug at Costco) or get some at Home Depot or your local store and a rag should take care of most of the cleaning.

i am going to use TriFlow grease on all the vises i'm going to use and restore but was using a silicone grease i had just laying around that works fine too.

since you have the open screw i heard it might be best to use an oil, but i'd still use a grease. when using the vise or not i would always lay a rag on the open screw to prevent shavings, dust and crud from getting on the screw and into your vise and just shake it off outside in a flower bed.

I'm sure that the Elgin will serve you well even if you end up finding a big old US vise for the other end of your bench.

good luck

 

[FourOneTwo]

@drivesitfar Thanks for the cleaning and greasing advice. I have some Simple Green and Silicone grease laying around at home so I'll go that route. Good tip on covering the screw when working. I've only had covered in the past. I hope to have to replace my bench top long before the vise wears out

 

[drivesitfar]

sounds like a plan. post a couple pictures of your vise once you get it mounted on your bench.

you're welcome and maybe somebody else will see your thread that has an Elgin or knows more about them.

 

[sk farmer]

this is just my opinion, but i think it is legitimate. most people think of windmills as only being galvanised sheet metal parts bolted together. they all had shafts, gearboxes pumps and weights or counterweights. many of these other parts were cast and machined so that means they also had in house casting and machining capabilities. the paint and decals on your vice look original so i think the chances them making and you having an elgin windmill vice are pretty good.

 

[FourOneTwo]

Thanks @sk farmer. I to think it's legit as the aging is consistent between the decal and the vise and paint. It's quite a conundrum that I cannot find any information re: Elgin Windmill vises. I did see they made actual windmills until the late 40s. Perhaps after that they utilized their casting, machining, etc. capabilities to make vises? I wonder how "rare" something like this is (I don't necessarily coordinate "rare" with "valuable," just wondering how many of these are around).

 

[FourOneTwo]

Bump. Anyone have additional info on Elgin windmill company vises? Thanks.

 

[FourOneTwo]

Bump